Curry Chicken Drumsticks

Curry Chicken Drumsticks – a simple, authentic dinner that you probably have most of the ingredients for in your pantry! It’s as easy as blending the flavors in the food processor and cooking it all together. Plus, the kids will love getting their own drumstick with their rice and veggies.

You guys this is the real deal. And I know what you’re thinking when it comes to real-deal-authentic Indian food made at home–no way! However, I’m here to tell you this is loads easier than you can even imagine.

In a few simple steps you’ve suddenly made a fresh curry paste from simple pantry items. Then boom, you’ve browned some chicken drumsticks. And hey, that was easy stirring in some onions and sweet potatoes. Simmer, simmer, simmer, DONE! All you need is some cooked rice and naan bread (I picked my naan up in the freezer section of the store thank you very much!).

On my blog TaraTeaspoon.com I am all about delicious food, but I don’t like things that take forever. I use my cooking smarts to make shortcuts, and even though I love pre-made sauces and packaged foods to streamline things, we all can take three extra minutes every once in a while to use whole foods. I mix it up. I’m not a purist. But when I can create a delicious recipe like this one using so many fresh ingredients, I’m all about sharing it!

I made my curry paste, in the food processor in just a few minutes. I love the addition of fresh ginger and honey for sweetness. I found red chilies, but if you don’t, simply use a jalapeño. Remember to scrape out the seeds so it’s not too spicy! I really like the chili flavor, but the seeds can make it too hot. If you’d like, leave it out of the paste and use it as garnish.

The extra onion and bell pepper get sliced and combined with a sweet potato. These go into the pan after the chicken is brown. Browning the chicken is such an important step. It doesn’t take too long but makes the drumsticks look pretty; not only that, it adds caramelized flavor to the dish. All the browned bits left in the pan when the chicken is done get picked up by the veggies as they soften.

I made my rice while the chicken and veg simmered, heated my naan bread and set the table. Just for kicks I added a teaspoon of whole fennel seeds to the rice while it cooked. they soften and give a sweet crunch to the rice. But no need to do this; I know how kids love their plain white rice!

When the sauce has thickened a bit and the chicken is cooked through I served the entire dish with dollops of yogurt (sprinkled with curry powder for good looks), fresh cilantro and some more red chilies. Feel free to dish up individual portions in the kitchen too. It’s a complete, authentic Indian dinner, with saucy goodness that sinks into your rice and melts in your mouth.

For brunch month I also went spanning the world for everyone’s favorite: a Dutch Pancake with lemon and berries. Delish!

Curry Chicken Drumsticks

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 25minutes

Cook Time: 39minutes

Total Time: 1hour4minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 426

Author: I Heart Naptime Contributor

Easy to blend curry sauce is done in the food processor for this authentic Indian meal the entire family will love. Made with spices you have in your pantry, tasty vegetables and chickpeas, and chicken drumsticks, it’s a fun meal made in about an hour.

Chicken and Chickpeas:

1sweet potato

2tablespoonsvegetable oil

8chicken drumsticks

2½cupschicken broth

2teaspoonstomato paste

1 (14 ounces)can chickpeas

4cupscooked Basmati rice

1cupplain yogurt

Naan bread

Instructions

For the Curry Paste: cut one onion and one bell pepper into pieces and put in a food processor; reserve the other onion and pepper. To the food processor add the garlic, ginger, chili (scrape out the seeds to keep things mild), cilantro, chicken bouillon, honey, turmeric, coriander, curry powder and salt. Blend until the mixture is a paste.

For the Chicken and Chickpeas: cut the reserved onion in wedges and the bell pepper in thick slices. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 1 inch pieces; set aside with the onion and pepper.

Heat a large casserole or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil then the drumsticks. Cook until golden on all sides, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove chicken to a plate, leaving the pan on the heat. Add another tablespoon oil with the onion, pepper and sweet potato. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

Add the Curry Paste, chicken broth, tomato paste and chickpeas and stir well. Add the chicken back to the pan (arrange the drumsticks in a circle if you like), cover the pan, reduce heat to a simmer and cook 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes add 1 cup of water and simmer another 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and vegetables are soft.

Serve the curry with rice, yogurt, naan bread if desired and garnish with extra cilantro.